Combe enjoy Scouse trip

4:24pm Tuesday 7th October 2008

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Waterloo 33-40 Westcombe Park

WESTCOMBE Park gained a thoroughly deserved away victory at Waterloo in their National League Two clash at Blundellsands on Saturday.

Waterloo are a very old club with a long history and a cracking old clubhouse located in a fine setting deep in the north west Liverpool suburbs.

The hosts had first use of a significant wind which helped the kick-off straight out, enabling Combe to start brightly until a penalty was given away for playing the ball on the floor 35m out to the right of the posts and fly-half Frank Lynch stepped up to convert off a post.

Turnovers by both sides allowed the other to gradually ease into the game, but it was the home side who settled first as Combe found clearing against the breeze to be hard work.

Play was confined to the middle of the pitch for a while until a kick by fly-half Gareth Hunter found touch deep in Waterloo's 22 and Combe disrupted the following home lineout.

With quick ball, Hunter found wing Lee Campion on his shoulder and the latter split the home defence open all the way to the line where centre Tyron Child was on hand to take the scoring pass and plunge over, leaving a simple conversion for Hunter.

Waterloo responded shortly afterwards when they came back strongly from the restart and a penalty against Combe for offside at a lineout gave Lynch a chance from 35m out midway to touch, which he coolly slotted home on the breeze.

Westcombe Park replied soon after when, from another lineout, the ball found Child and he feinted and then straightened to glide through a bemused home defence from 30m with Hunter converting.

A kick through to the line put Combe on the back-foot soon afterwards and after Waterloo had run the dropout 22 back at Combe, hands on the floor in a central position allowed Lynch to convert, as he did five minutes later after a high tackle in front of the posts on the 22.

With half-time approaching, Westcombe Park finished off the opening period in fine style when, after turnover ball, they attacked down the centre of the pitch.

At the resultant ruck, the home hooker received a yellow card for a professional foul and scrum-half Darryn Bruce quickly tapped the ball to set the backs away to the line.

The move was rounded off in the corner by Bruce himself diving in.

Waterloo would have looked to gain the advantage with the elements in their favour in the first period, but to Combe's credit and perhaps surprise, they made most of the running and scored three good tries as they looked much the sharper of the two sides with the ball in hand.

With the benefit of the breeze in the second half, and a man advantage for a while longer, Westcombe Park scored two tries in as many minutes.

The first came after they attacked down the centre and as the move looked to go awry, Child scooped up the ball and with a drop of the shoulder left the Waterloo forwards and backs trailing in his slipstream, with number eight Tom Hayman on his shoulder.

Drawing the last man, Child put Hayman in from the 22 and Hunter converted.

The second try followed immediately after when Child again found space and this time it was fullback Phil Chesters who rounded off the move, scoring under the posts.

Now in cruise-control, Combe looked to have sealed the match some six minutes later after a penalty and kick to touch five metres out.

Simple passing along the backs allowed the irrepressible Child in at the corner with Hunter kicking a fine conversion.

Leading by 28 points, the travelling supporters were well-satisfied and looking for a rampant win.

However, a yellow card for too many penalties at the breakdown and an injury to Hunter saw the home side re-galvanised and it was their turn to score tries in fairly quick succession.

On 56 minutes, they gained a penalty try after Combe offended on their own line.

And some six minutes later with Waterloo attacking at every opportunity, a penalty 40m out and quick tap and go by scrum-half Adam Anderson established the hosts deep on the Combe 22.

A turnover at a scrum later and slick passing saw fullback James O'Brien finish off a fine move with Lynch converting.

With their lead reduced to 14 points, Combe sought to re-establish themselves and looked to have done so when they camped on the Waterloo line for a while before setting their backs off 10m out for what looked a certain score with a three-man overlap.

However, what looked to be the scoring pass found lurking wing Neil Kerfoot gambling in the centres and the latter calmly intercepted yards from his line and set off down-pitch.

With Westcombe Park over-committed, Kerfoot sprinted to just over halfway where he put Combe's remaining defence out of the chase by shipping the ball on to O'Brien who did the rest from 40m.

In the remaining 12 minutes and injury time, both sides had chances to seal the game.

But as Westcombe Park regained their composure, they finished off the game looking mentally stronger, keeping several frantic Waterloo attacks at bay with comparative ease.